Democrat Jim Costa beats Republican Michael Maher in Fresno, California congressional race
Rep. Jim Costa, D-Fresno, beat Republican challenger Michael Maher in California’s 21st Congressional District, the Associated Press projected.
Costa had 52% of the votes and Maher had 48% as of 6:14 p.m. Pacific time on Friday. An estimated 92% of the votes had been counted.
This House of Representatives race, one of the last to be decided by the AP nationwide, had been seen as solidly Democratic by nonpartisan election analysts.
Republicans had already captured a slim House of Representatives majority, one that could be thinned for a period of time if members resign for Trump administration roles. The GOP will control at least 218 seats when the 119th Congress convenes in January. Democrats will have at least 212.
Costa, 72, has been a member of Congress since 2005. He sits on House committees covering agriculture and foreign affairs. He’s a member of the Blue Dog Coalition, a group of moderate Democrats, the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.
He faced a repeat challenge from Maher, 41, a former FBI special agent and Navy veteran. In 2022, Costa defeated Maher by more than 8 percentage points in a race called on Nov. 15, a week after Election Day.
This San Joaquin Valley district takes parts of Fresno and Tulare counties. The 21st covers the majority of the city of Fresno, the north side of Visalia plus all of Sanger, Kingsburg, Reedley and Dinuba.
This story was originally published November 15, 2024 at 6:38 PM.
